A small town in Georgia answers a call to service and saves its volunteer fire department

Asst. Fire Chief Michael Moravek with mascot,
Fire Pup. (Photo by Jennifer King via the Echo)

Across the country, rural fire departments are struggling to attract, train and retain volunteer firefighters. In Oglethorpe County, Georgia, the small unincorporated town of Vesta had a fire department facing closure until they put a call out to the community for help, reports Makenzy Wolford of The Oglethorpe Echo. "Down to three volunteers and battling new state regulations, the station faced the possibility of extinction." That was four years ago. Now the Vesta Volunteer Fire Department is staffed with volunteers thanks to its residents' "overwhelming response."

Vesta Fire Chief Wayne King "wasn't even a volunteer firefighter four years ago," Wolford writes. "He, among the majority of the station’s current volunteers, were unaware the station needed help until Douglas Spencer spoke to the congregation of Vesta Baptist Church. . . . Douglas, along with his wife Nicole Spencer, were two of the remaining firefighters at the Vesta station. When the situation became dire, Douglas went to the church. . . . A dozen members, including King and now assistant chief Michael Moravek, chose public service that night."

Moravek told Wolford, “I’ve always wanted to do this. I’ve been living here for 25 years, and no one’s ever asked. I thought they didn’t need anyone else extra.” Wolford adds, "The once-grim station blossomed in the 3½ years since Spencer’s call to action. Handshakes, hugs and kind words flowed freely Saturday as the VFD hosted its annual barbecue fundraiser on the first day of deer gun season."

Firefighting requires physical stamina, extensive knowledge of fire and bravery, which is part of the reason why getting and keeping volunteers is difficult. Moravek told Wolford, "I was very surprised by the amount of training that we had to go through. Twelve weeks of training at night time. . . . And then it’s a continuous training experience.” Wolford reports, "Training and certification requirements are more involved and strenuous than many anticipated."

Like most rural communities, all of Oglethorpe County's fire departments are staffed by volunteers. Wolford adds, "The issue of staffing, like that Vesta faced, is not only a local problem. . . Nationally, fire departments are struggling to come up with a staff equipped to act as the community’s first line of defense against everyday emergencies."